


Mike and Captain Have a Heart-to-Heart

by Infinitely_Odd



Series: Ghost Stories [3]
Category: Ghosts (TV 2019)
Genre: Drabble, Mike is a bean, Mike is bi, Multi, but theres not much, captain has a lil bitty of internalised homophobia, captain looks forward to the future, he's just a little unsure, its very sweet, mike and cap have a nice chat!, the captain is gay, wlw author
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 12:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19106686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infinitely_Odd/pseuds/Infinitely_Odd
Summary: For a while Mike sat silently watching the documentary, but Captain was acutely aware of Mike's presence. At that moment his breathing was louder, the dip in the couch was more noticeable. Even for himself, Captain's senses were heightened, and he couldn't think why?"I really hope you're in here, Captain. 'Cause Alison says you haven't found your...uh, powers, I guess, yet. Unlike that MP guy. Uh, anyway, yeah I really hope this isn't Kitty, or Mary, or...Fanny..." He sniggered, much to Captain's confusion, then quickly resolved himself. "Hm, sorry. I really hope this isn't Thomas either 'cause I don't think he's too fond of me.""But while I was talking to Alison, actually, she mentioned something."





	Mike and Captain Have a Heart-to-Heart

Mike knew the Captain was in the living room for two reasons, the TV was on with a show about tanks (which he and Alison would never watch willingly), and secondly Alison had told him. So he was fairly certain the Captain was here. He was, and he was deeply engrossed in the show, so much show that he didn't even notice Mike sitting next to him until the sofa dipped and a loud huff sounded. The Captain leapt off his seat clutching his chest, then glanced around to make sure no one had seen him.

"Goodness gracious me- what do you think you're doing, man?" He shouted to no one in particular, though when he finished he felt rather silly. No one had heard. Mike certainly couldn't hear him. So he returned his attention back to the television, embarrassment burning in his chest.

For a while Mike sat silently watching the documentary, but Captain was acutely aware of Mike's presence. At that moment his breathing was louder, the dip in the couch was more noticeable. Even for himself, Captain's senses were heightened, and he couldn't think why?

Fear? He was dead. What was there to fear?

The unknown, he supposed.

"Are you planning on changing the channel?" He asked Mike, and again, that foolish feeling returned because not only was Mike sitting still, almost like a doll, but he couldn't hear the Captain. He coughed and pretended it had never happened. "I do hope you change it before I get too invested again." He muttered, this time entirely for himself.

Then Mike did something strange. He began to talk.

"I really hope you're in here, Captain. 'Cause Alison says you haven't found your...uh, powers, I guess, yet. Unlike that MP guy. Uh, anyway, yeah I really hope this isn't Kitty, or Mary, or...Fanny..." He sniggered, much to Captain's confusion, then quickly resolved himself. "Hm, sorry. I really hope this isn't Thomas either 'cause I don't think he's too fond of me."

The Captain scoffed, was Thomas really so obvious? Apparently so. "Remind me to tell Thomas later that his pining and jealousy is so blatant it transcends the barrier between the dead and the living."

"But while I was talking to Alison, actually, she mentioned something." Mike interrupted.

Ghosts didn't have blood, but a cold feeling ran down his being anyway, and his stomach dropped. He flung his head towards Mike, eyes wide.

"She, uh, shit-" Mike leaned forward and ran his hands over his head. "God I feel like I'm coming out all over again." He tried to laugh, but it ended up sounding like the air was getting stuck in his throat. Like he was choking.

"I- I know it's hard." Mike began, "And Alison's given you the whole spiel, but I thought I'd, y'know, add my two cents to the whole conversation."

The Captain raised his eyebrow, "I appreciate the sentiment, Michael, but what does American currency have to-"

"I was sixteen, I think, when I knew. It was a bit weird to begin with. I was in a sort of limbo, it was strange that no one else thought about men the way I did, but also I knew deep down I wasn't like most people. Lot of uncertainty." Mike slowly nodded to himself. The Captain said nothing, listening. "And being black too, you know? And a guy. There's a lot of stigma, but once I found the label and finally started uni things began looking up.

I met Alison, god I got so lucky with her. I came out- some people didn't take it well, but not many. I went to pride, homophobes be damned, and-" He sighed, "I'm not great at the whole heart-to-heart thing but, if you ever need anything tell Alison to tell me. I'm not that experienced in a lot of things, anything to be honest, but I know what it's like and if I can help. Tell me, or Alison, and she can tell me."

The Captain smiled a rare smile, so his eyes crinkled and the apples of his cheeks became more pronounced. He looked at Mike, the big, lovable idiot who couldn't see him but wanted to help anyway. Someone who often made mistakes but made up for them with the size of his heart.

"Alison is very lucky, I think." Captain commented. "Not all husbands are as gentle as you, certainly not in my time. My father was a brute."

"And hey," Mike said, "You never know, there might be someone else like Alison, you know who can see you, and I'm sure there are plenty of cute dead guys wandering about."

Thoughts of Adam and various other visitors to Button House flashed through his mind. A fire spread through his cheeks and he gripped his swagger stick tighter. "Right, well, they don't come around as often as you might think Michael." He paused. "However, I must thank you, and I shall tell Alison this later."

Mike didn't respond, not that Captain expected him too, yet he felt fonder of the man who seemed to be content watching the documentary with him. But his heart was half with the documentary from then on, the rest was dreaming. It dreamt of a bright future for him, despite the fact he was dead. As Pat had said- the war was over. There was no need to fight with himself anymore. He could evolve, as it were, instead of being the Captain of the Regiment who was entirely heterosexual and nothing else, a war machine used to inspire the masses to be like him. The model major-general. He could reinvent himself slightly.

He didn't like to talk about himself during the war. His actions- only sometimes. He was a good soldier, the perfect one almost. Except for one thing, one thing that people would judge him by. The one reason he hated himself for many years. But now it was the future, not only was it legal, you could talk about it. It was normal. But the world kept turning, time moved on and never allowed him to look back, not even once. Perhaps he could come to love himself as much as he wanted to. He could be a modern major-general, he could keep the peace, be in charge of events, be Alison's right-hand man for the ghosts, and be gay. He could be proud of himself. 

Perhaps Michael was right, perhaps there was someone was out there waiting for him.

Maybe his life had only just begun.

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya friends it's me again, when will I stop posting Captain-centric stuff? Soon! I have a couple of prompts for other characters coming up that I'm excited to write!
> 
> Again, thanks to the ghiscord for being so sweet and special thanks to @ Bos for the idea/prompt, this was a really nice one to write for me, being relatively recently out the closet to some people!
> 
> ME ABOUT WRITING CAP BECAUSE HE'S VERY COMPLEX and i need a place to work this out for myself  
> So I hate the thing where it's gay characters hating themselves for so many words, and I tried not to do that here, but I don't think it's in the Caps nature to be like: Yup it's legal hello fellas! You know? I do think there is a little bit of uncertainty within himself. He knows there's nothing wrong with it, but he's still coming to terms with it for himself. A lot of people experience the "They can be gay, it's fine to be gay, but it's not me" kind of experience, where they/we/I wish to be gay but feel we/they/I can't be because of whatever reason. I think the Captain would also have this struggle.
> 
> For me there was a lot of struggle finding a balance between my personality and being loud and proud, particularly when I was still closeted. For Captain I think this would affect him because he's quite closed off and professional, he's very strict upon himself and others and after many years of being told that any mention of it is too much I feel he'd be more reserved in expressing himself, his emotions, and also accepting it in himself. Particularly in the case of Alan Turing, which he may have heard about after his death and seem himself in, maybe.
> 
> TLDR; I think after years of the army Cap wouldn't be so quick to be really loud and proud, and there's a little internalised homophobia (not much) and uncertainty in there, but it's a learning curve and he wants to love himself. He knows it's not taboo or gross or weird to love men, but he struggles with his identity sometimes. But he wants to be able to love himself and wants to work towards it.  
> I am a bi/queer author and Mike's (and Cap's) feelings are loosely based on my own- though, to be noted I am not black nor male, so those are based on other's experiences


End file.
